On Wednesday 1st October staff and students at Sir George Monoux College held a special ceremony to mark the momentous return of a former pupil, Matthew Bourne OBE - an internationally acclaimed dance and theatre choreographer.
Matthew became a pupil at Sir George Monoux Grammar School in Walthamstow in 1974, at the age of 14 and completed his schooling in 1978. His success since has led to Matthew becoming the recipient of over 30 global awards. He is now the Artistic Director of his company, New Adventures, famously known for spectacular productions of Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Lord of the Flies and Edward Scissorhands plus many more.
This October, Matthew returned to Sir George Monoux College after thirty-six years for a special celebration. Principal, Paolo Ramella led the celebrations, which saw the College’s theatre re-named ‘The Matthew Bourne Theatre’ in honour of Matthew’s extraordinary achievements in contemporary performing arts. The dedication ceremony was attended by Deputy Mayor of London for Education and Culture, Munira Mirza and featured a special performance by former student and winner of BBC’s The Voice, Jermain Jackman.
Principal of Sir George Monoux College, Paolo Ramella said, “Matthew’s colossal achievements are remarkable; we are immensely proud of Matthew’s journey from being a young pupil here to a man who has changed the face of contemporary culture worldwide.”
Julie Search-Whittaker, Head of Faculty at Sir George Monoux College said, “Matthew is such a major influence on how we teach Creative & Performing Arts students here. I am thrilled that our theatre has been named after him and it stands as a legacy to inspire current and future students. I want to thank Matthew for the amazing dance workshops that his company Re:Bourne has been running with our students over the year.”
Creative & Performing Arts student Oswald Addo said, “Matthew is really famous in the performing arts world, I’m thrilled to meet him! He’s won the Olivier award 5 times and his work is breathtakingly brilliant.”
Matthew Bourne said, “I am thrilled that the college has gone on to achieve such an admirable reputation for developing the next generation of creative young Londoners. I am thrilled to have formed a lasting partnership between the college, New Adventures and Re:Bourne”
